Eletech Ode To Laura

Ode to Laura

From Eletech
Housed within the Flagships of Eletech ‘Parnassus’, the "𝐎𝐝𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐚" features a fully maxed, triple bespoke copper configuration in 22awg geometry.

- 𝟐𝟐 𝐀𝐖𝐆, 𝟒 𝐖𝐢𝐫𝐞
- 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐎𝐂𝐂 𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝
- 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧
- 𝟗 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐳, 𝐊𝐞𝐯𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝
- 𝐎𝐅𝐂 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠
- 𝐂𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝
- 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫
- 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐘-𝐒𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬
- 𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐌𝐚𝐱 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Disclaimer and conflict of interest:

Cables are a personal thing. The synergy with an IEM can be either predictable or unpredictable. This is not an apologetic disclaimer. Even blind i.e. not knowing anything about a cable - the sonic characteristics are consistent and reproducible between multiple people. This is what I hear. Not everyone can discern the nuances. If you're exploring Ode to Laura, you probably can.

The cable is my personal cable for which I paid the asking price from my dealer.

I am told three different copper materials were sent around to some trusted Audiophiles/Head-Fi members for feedback during development. In the end, a complex hybrid of the materials to integrate the strengths of each were used in the final release.

Unboxing:

An exciting day of arrivals.

Absolutely beautiful unboxing experience.

I did not receive the "coin" - I assume by cable 432 they probably ran out.

The box is tastefully designed and included was the gorgeous IEM and cable case for which Eletech are well known for.

How does it sound?

These are cross posted in the Eletech thread
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ele...cussions-thread.919228/page-375#post-18125488

It is a noticeable improvement from Raphael which is my pick from the Virtues series.

Raphael was still slightly warm in a nice way. But not as full/rich as the OEM MestIII stock cable. Mids become more prominent and forward, especially the upper mids. Space and separation were quite capable with adequate detail retrieval. My comments were "would be a very respectable cable and a good pairing for IEM's that are not too bright". It is technically capable and balanced enough that it would pair well with many IEM's. I would safely recommend trialling Raphael as an introduction into cable upgrades.

Brief comparisons with Ode to Laura and Sonnet of Adam

Ode to Laura is my favourite Eletech cable. I own it and have it paired with Spartacus. There's an immediately noticeable improvement in the techs. Soundstage layering, holographic placement. Soundstage is not as wide or spacious as Sonnet to Adam and I actually thought they sounded very different. There's still a nicely balanced copper warmth to the low-mid end. I note a slight bass lift. Bass is tighter and well controlled, with detailed texture. There's a slight prominence to the vocal upper mids and it almost hones in on that frequency spectrum on Mest III that is harder to describe. OTL made me think it was SPC rather than OCC.



SP3000 + Orphy Shielded IC (which lends a subtle full but laid back and analogue tuning) + MK475 + Spartacus

Paired to Spartacus OTL was synergistically excellent. Tonality was well balanced. I look for that "X" factor in tonality, timbre, balance and complexity and this was very fine. Again, bass is authoritative and well controlled. Even for BA bass with relatively fast decay. OTL improves the quality and impact of the bass without any sense of excess weight or loss of clarity. Mids are again slightly forward and comments similar to previous. For the Hong Kong crowd (香港人) I very much enjoy this pairing with Jackie Chung.

Treble is very much controlled and reasonably extended without brightness. Not as rich as Euclid in scale.

Sonnet of Adam was technically excellent, less coloured than OTL but without the vocal prominence on the upper mids. It was less dense. Musical but in a more neutral sense. Layering, OTL does very well but SOA is very, very close. Smooth but clean and transitions really well. The treble sparkle and air is very well done without any sibilance. On MEST III it's near the upper limits of my preference (Elyisian Annihilator is also close) but without as much of the low-mid emphasis the upper registers shine. Staging is wide and magnificent.

Versa system means that Eletech cables will be compatible with 2-pin and MMCX (e.g. campfire) audio IEM's. Pentacon Ear for Elysian IEM's have just been released. The Versa kit means you can possibly ask your favourite custom cable manufacturer to give them ago.

Conclusion

I associate the Eletech house sound as technically excellent with clarity, detail and well controlled treble + extension being strengths. OTL has an authoritative bass lift, slam and impact that is textured, controlled but not floaty at the same time. There is no muddiness or excess weight with OTL. Sound is musical with excellent dynamics, a true Ode to Laura. There is a subtle coloration compared to the more neutral/natural tuning of Sonnet to Adam which I have grown to enjoy greatly.

It pairs very well with IEM's such as XE6 and Spartacus.

Getting a few basics out of the way, firstly thank you to Andrew at Musicteck for the opportunity to review this cable, check out the rest of the Eletech line-up available at https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/eletech.

My process when choosing a cable comes largely down to synergy and what I'm looking to bring out in the IEM/DAP I'm combining the cable with. I'll always have an idea or a direction I want an IEM to go based on it's signature and speed. The goal is typically enhancing what it already does well as a compliment, far less often am I looking to alter the sound profile unless there's a glaring or bleeding of mids/bass.

First, the packaging:



The Ode to Laura comes in a very neat, slightly minimalist but high quality packaging. It contains their Pentaconn x Eletech collaboration chin cinch (if you can even call it that, more on this later), a cable strap, cable case, ownership/ID card and a neat little (iron?) collectors coin.

One of the favorite parts of the packaging was a booklet contained behind the ID card. This booklet contains a history of each of Eletechs cables and a nice sound profile direction for each. Now I know I just said I love the booklet but I also hate it. The booklet, which comes with the Ode to Laura...is missing a sound profile for the Ode to Laura as well as the Victoria, which released at the same time. Bewildering....but it's still a nice addition.



I'll be using my Astell and Kern SP3000 Copper Limited Edition (SP3k CU) and Unique Melody Mest Indigo with Coreir Pentaconn Brass ear tips for all comparisons below. The cables I'll be comparing to the Ode to Laura are the Effect Audio Cleopatra II Octa, Code 23, Horus x Cleopatra I Octa and Noble Audio Magnus 8wire. I'll be paying a lot of attention to comparisons to the Cleo II, as it is by far the closest in terms of sound and another cable I absolutely love with the Indigos, so it's a tough competition for the OtL to see if it can replace the Cleo on the Indigo!

Technicals:

The first thing that sticks out with the Ode to Laura is how black the background is and how much space/air there is between each note, paired with the SP3k CU the background is a blackhole/void level of dark, there's nothing there and it's absolutely amazing.

The Effect Audio cables all come close but they don't have the same void tier darkness. This can probably be attributed to the OFC Shielding network that is meshed around each wire that the Ode to Laura has. The magnus 8w is even closer but still none of my owned high end cables match the Ode to Laura here.

The transients of the Ode to Laura are the other stand out, notes decay fast and disappear into the void as quickly as they came. This may be a turn off for some, but with the Indigos and SP3k it just enhances each of their already amazing abilities to make your music have massive detail without sacrificing air or musicality.

The Cleopatra II is more extended in the treble notes than the OtL and have that lingering ring to cymbals, the Horus x Cleo I shares this with the Cleo II but is somewhere in between the two (being slower than the OtL but quicker than the CleoII). The Code 23 is nearly on par with the OtL but lags behind ever so slightly and to be fair, for a 680 dollar cable, that's impressive in it's own. The OtL however loses in this department to the Magnus 8w ($2k price tag, if you can manage to get it).

Soundstage/Imaging:

I've seen many reviews that call the OtL's soundstage very "cone" shaped, extended deep but not as wide. For me, with the Indigo and SP3k CU this isn't the case. I hear the soundstage to be very wide and deep, the one place it lacks is height. There is a "holographic" nature to OtL, being able to easily discern instruments position in the stage that wraps around and deep.



Cleopatra II Octa: This cable is a great contender for the OtL here, while it lacks the width in soundstage, it is able to reach slightly deeper and much higher than the OtL. The imaging capabilities of both are on par for me, being able to easily discern where any instrument/vocalist is in the stage (both are great in duets with each vocalist being very precise in position).

Horus x Cleo I: The Horus x Cleo I also has a fair amount less width than the OtL but reaches even deeper than the Cleo II and higher, owing to the Horus on the depth and the Cleo I on the height. In the imaging department, the Horus x Cleo I wins by a tiny margin as that extra depth and height help to place drums and cymbals slightly better than the OtL but when listening more casually it's difficult to tell the difference, as all the air and darkness of the OtLs background allows it to keep pace.

Code 23: As expected from a cable 1/5th the cost of the OtL, it has trouble keeping pace in all areas, the soundstage is smaller than all the above cables, lacks height and is able to perform adequately in depth but still much less than all 3 cables. Imaging is strong on the code 23, but again, compared to all 3, lacking.

Magnus 8w: Once again, the big boy on the block when it comes to technicals (both itself and the great IEM it comes with), the magnus is surprisingly matched in soundstage width, depth but wins in height. This was a surprise to me, as I fully expected the Magnus to crush the OtL when it came with width and depth, pleasant surprise and it shows how much went into the OtL and its configuration and copper mix. The Magnus does win on imaging but only barely.

Now onto the fun stuff everyone was waiting for, the sound! Quite a lot of surprises for me when it came to the sound comparisons of these cables and the OtL.



Bass:

Punch, clarity and extremely controlled. These are the 3 notes I had while listening to the OtL the first time. The bass is certainly something else. Even on my Odins the OtL was able to completely mitigate and remove the bass bleed present on them while boosting the punch and rumble. The deep extension on the bass is the other star, as mentioned above. Every last detail in the bass floor is retrieved and presented clearly and no sub/mid bass muddling is ever able to occur. To me, the focus is slightly on sub bass but the mid bass still receives a nice rumble to it. The OtL pairing with Indigo and SP3k CU is one unlike any other IEM or pairing I have heard. There's so much detail and clarity in the bass, even on songs where I previously felt like I could hear micro details in the back but now they're ever present and easily able to be picked out on every track. Absolutely impressive cable on all fronts in the bass department.

Cleo II: Surprisingly, the cleo II is able to rumble quite a bit more than the OtL, the punch is close but slightly in favor of the OtL. I lend this to the quicker note decay on the OtL, it's able to rumble and rumble well but it's gone fast along with the notes. To me, this is the one area I could see swapping back to the Cleo II for once in a while for the Indigo because the BCD rumble with the Cleo is unmatched. The cleo also has a greater focus on mid bass than sub bass with a more "analog" sound due to the longer note decay.

Horus x Cleo: Already knowing the Horus x Cleo would have less rumble than the OtL due to my previous comparisons I've done between it and the Cleo II, it fared remarkably well. Even rumble between sub and mid bass, neither is emphasized over the other. There is a NEAR match in detail retrieval in the sub bass between these two cables but the horus x cleo is beat by a narrow margin in the mid bass. When it comes to acoustics though I prefer the horus x cleo, the pair has a sweeter/slightly more note weight than the OtL and it's largely a preference thing and in no way a big enough difference to warrant cable swapping on a regular for.

Code 23: Like all the above comparisons to the Code 23, it just doesn't compare, similar sound signature but it doesn't have the detail retrieval of the OtL. I will say it does rumble significantly more in the sub bass, which for bass heads, you'll probably prefer the Code 23 to the OtL. It's a great sounding bass presentation that is also tight and clean like the OtL but due to the soundstage limitations and longer note decay it can't compare. For bass heads and those who may feel the OtL offers "too much" or "overwhelming" detail in the bass, the Code 23 may be for you (can also pick this guy up at musicteck!).

Magnus 8w: There are a lot of similarities between the Magnus and the OtL in their bass presentation. Both opt for detail and a sub bass over mid bass focus, maintain all micro details and extreme clarity. The biggest difference is their note weight, the magnus 8w keeps notes punchy but not emphasized while the OtL puts some oomph behind each note making them stand out a little more.

Mids:

The mid presentation of the OtL is something very special. There is a wispy nature to them, they are ever so slightly set back due to this but in no way veiled or less pronounced. There's extreme detail just like everything else with the OtL. Female vocals are exceptional with the OtL, especially on melodic type rock or metal like Nightwish, Elyose, Delain, etc. I really struggle to describe the mids further, it really is something different than any other cable I've ever heard has presented and hopefully comparisons below to the other cables will help.

Cleo II: One of the Cleo II's specialities, the analog warmth despite being silver is something the Cleo II is renowned for. There is markedly less detail in the mids between the OtL and Cleo II (with the OtL having the advantage) and the presentation being much more forward with the Cleo. As with the bass, there's definitely a preference many will have here where the nature of the OtL might turn them off while the Cleo II makes them fall in love. I for one prefer the OtL here with the Indigos but the Cleo II with my Odin.

Horus x Cleo: The horus x cleo's strength is not pushing 1 piece of the FR out beyond another. It is an exceptionally balanced cable that will serve to enhance your IEM/DAP combo's existing sound but it will add some color and flavor here in the mids. The horus x cleo shares a very tight, detailed mid presentation but, unlike the OtL, adds a lot of sweetness and intimacy to the vocal presentation, both male and female. The OtL will be for those who want to pull the mids back just a TOUCH while retaining all detail.

Code 23: The story continues here, compared to all the other ToTL cables compared here, the code 23 struggles to stand out. The mids on the code 23 are reminiscent of a silver cables detail but with your standard copper warmth, nothing extremely special or worth noting vs these other cables as the code 23 is a very neutral cable.

Magnus 8w: The magnus has a similar effect of pulling back the mids just slightly, but without that special wispy-ness of the OtL. As with every other comparison thus far, detail and clarity are the focus and are nearly a perfect match but ever so slightly leaning to the Magnus.

Treble: The treble presentation of the OtL is yet another special area, it's just different than any other cable, but far easier to explain the special-ness of it than the mids. The OtL's treble is sparkly and well pronounced but at the same time it has a darker tone to it due to the quick decay. I never had any issues of sibilance or other harshness, granted, I rarely do, so if you're someone who is sensitive to this region make sure to check other reviews out. If you didn't know it, you could mistake the OtL to be a hybrid silver cable due to the clarity across the lower and upper treble.

Cleo II: As mentioned in the technical area, the Cleo II has greater extension in the treble due to the longer note decay. The treble presentation in terms of sparkle are able equal but the tonality is a bit brighter on the Cleo. They are remarkably similar given full silver vs full copper materials on each. Goes to show the skill and research put into these cables and their stranding/layout. Both are impressive cables and if looking for a more "analog" sound, lean to the Cleo, but for a sparkly, quick paced treble stick with the OtL.

Horus x Cleo: Brightness and Sparkle are the focus for this cable. The treble extends well but decays a bit quicker than the Cleo II. Some of the sweetness from the mids is also present in the lower treble regions, making higher pitched female vocalist have a great tonality.

Code 23: Completely neutral to your IEM and won't color or touch the presentation in any way. So the differences here are pretty stark, the OtL has much better sparkle and quality than the code 23. I'd 100% pick the OtL on all of my IEMs here.

Magnus 8w: The magnus's specialty, there is sparkle and brightness en masse, with a quick note decay. The OtL's "darkness" is much more present and easy to hear in this comparison as the Magnus is unapologetically bright and treble first. That's not to say that there is less detail retrieved from the OtL in comparison, both cables are able to get the tiny nuances out of flutes, cymbals and other instruments in this region.

Now for the one hatred of this cable, the god forsaken excuse for a chin cinch....they want to charge 80 dollars for this thing separately and that's just an insult. You need to pull this thing into your neck before it even attempts to hold it's place and then god forbid you move or try to breath it falls ALL the way back down to the y splitter. It's infuriating, it's largely useless and I contemplated putting a twist tie below it several times just so it can feel like it's useful. Seriously, if an Eletech or Pentaconn employee ever reads this, you need to redesign this abomination of a "chin cinch".

With all of that out of the way, the burning question remains - did the Ode to Laura accomplish the impossible and replace the Cleopatra II Octa as the Indigos partner in crime? As of right now, after my 2 days A/Bing and the last 8 hours with the OtL exclusively, I have to admit, yes it did. The Ode to Laura really is something else, it's technical aspects are beyond compare to even cables far above it's price (cough PW audio) and it is able to provide a bass, mid and treble presentation that when combined are very unique and addicting.

If the above sounds like a cable you'd love to get your hands on, don't forget to check out the Musicteck shop at https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/eletech.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed and found it sufficiently informative.

Greetings fellow Head-fiers, and welcome to my review of the Eletech Ode To Laura. I was lucky enough to be part of the demo process in the building stages of this cable, and I’d like to give a quick shout-out to @Eric Chong , who is quite possibly the nicest guy in the business. It was a great honor for me to be asked to be a part of this experiment, and it was super cool for an experienced cable maker such a he to imply such a back to roots approach on a new product - kudos there. Eric also happens to make beautiful work, lust worthy cables that sounds just a beautiful as they look. Intricate works of art that place almost as much attention to visual details as they do their custom wiring structures and exotic sourced components. I did a guest review for the Illiad over at Bloom Audio, I’ve tried the Aeneid extensively, and now for a full circle, I’m now sharing my thoughts on Eletech’s newest masterpiece - the Ode To Laura.

Let’s get a few things out of the way first. Firstly, I would like to thank Andrew at @MusicTeck for asking me to review the OTL, and for providing me with a demo unit. I had to send the cable back after my review process, and nothing was asked of me other than to share my thoughts and experiences completely independent of any pressure or influence. Sadly I could not keep the OTL, as I grew to love it very quickly, but I digress. Second, I find that there are two types of people when it comes to cables, some that find it makes a noticeable difference in their signal chains, and others find that it absolutely doesn’t and it’s a waste of time and money. It isn’t my position here to convert or try to convince anyone of anything, so if you don’t believe in cable upgrades that’s fine, but perhaps this review won’t be terribly useful to you, unless you like to hear an ultra nerd endlessly rant about high end audio. This is also an extremely expensive cable, and therefor my review is based on sound, and sound alone. If you think spending ~$3700 on a cable is crazy, you’re right! But we’re all crazy here

Lastly, a quick word about reviews, if I may: I cannot stress enough that this is my personal opinion. This is a review based on my personal preferences and especially my library, something that has a huge effect on the outcome of a review, which we should all keep in mind. What sounds great for someone who specializes in classical or hip hop might not work for the metal head, hardcore jazzer, or someone who only listens to acoustic music…etc ad infinitum. I for one have incredibly eclectic tastes, I listen to just about everything, and will try to be as even keeled as possible when I give my opinions when it comes to this cable, so that it can be of greatest use to those that take the time to read it.

All testing done with Jewel and Viking Ragnar on LP6 Ti AE. A full burn-in of 150+ hours was done as well.

With all that out of the way, let’s get started!




For comparison purposes I had with me the PW First Times Shielding and Orpheus Shielding, two of the best pure copper flagship cables available, to see how the OTL stacks up, and where it just might be different enough to not only compete, but hold its own among these famous beats. The OTL is very musical, energetic, resolving and detailed. It has that baked in Eletech house sound, so if you’re a fan you surely won’t be dissapointed with this one. Spoiler alert, while the OTL is a pure copper cable, and it does indeed have the traditional values and signature of a pure copper flagship, it performs more like a hybrid. I mean that in a very good way - while the FTS and Orpheus are staggering examples of pure copper, the OTL takes it in a slightly different direction, while keeping true to the copper family. I will explain further, but first the packaging.




For anyone that has read my past reviews, I am not about the packaging and unboxing process in the least. Box goes right to the closet or closest bookcase available after I take the goodies out. No need to go into it further for me, others like this stuff and I prefer to let them do it instead. Occasionally I do find packaging that really wows me, bears mentioning, and therefor I take a moment to call out the special design and work that went into the display of a product. The OTL is one of these, as the packaging is not only extremely well designed, beautiful to boot, but it’s also chock full of goodies not expected from a simple audio cable. Firstly the cable comes in a box that, in keeping with the traditional Electech vibe, is impressive and chock full of cues from Greek gods and mythic imagery. The elaborate cutouts in the box, the fine details, they go a long way to convey the time and passion it took to design this packaging. The cable itself comes in a gorgeous leather puck style case, with a zipper as well as a button/clasp - I wonder why other manufacturers don’t add this as well, I never thought of it before, but it’s a great idea. Kudos again Eric. There is also a metal serial number card, and a cable strap made the same leather as the case, also emblazoned with the Electech log, a very nice touch. There is also a gorgeous gold coin, with a greek god etched into the surface - not really necessary but an eye catching attention to detail nonetheless. Lastly, you get a Pentaconn chin slider, a very welcome addition, as none of the previous Eletech cables came with anything which drove me crazy, I like to cinch the cable tight up against my neck. This Pentaconn slider is also made of some crazy materials which supposedly help to shield the cable from RF frequencies and giving a darker background, I am not sure about that, I didn’t test it. It does work super well as a slider, and it’s pretty cool looking too, so I’m happy.







In a vast oversimplification catch all, this is a very high quality copper cable. A true flagship in my opinion, with best in class sonics, wonderful ergonomics and a very classy look. It is very impressive, both sonically and aesthetically. I do personally prefer a more understated look vs the shiny stuff, and while some of Eletech’s previous flashy cables push the limits to what I would be comfortable wearing in public, the OTL is dark, brooding, elegant and lush. You can see the gorgeous copper braids underneath the clear jacket, and while it isn’t quite as supple as other Eletech offerings owing to its larger cable gauge, it is very soft and I found it to disappear all day while wearing. The hardware is beautiful, polished black aluminum with subtle copper contrast cues throughout - the Y split and 4.4mm plus are some of the most intricate I’ve ever seen. Really gorgeous, and this coming from a guy who normally likes it mate black and functional only, I give credit where it’s due. Speaking of ergonomics, especially compared to the PW shielding cables, it is night and day when it comes to on the ear comfort, no question there. The OTL is vastly thinner and lighter, no comparison really. While I personally don’t mind the PW feel, and I dig the blacked out looks, it was a refreshing notion that I could get top notch sound without the weight and girth I am used to.

So let’s get into the sound shall we?

This is a really fantastic sounding cable. This is world class stuff, pure copper with a modern twist. The OTL really performs more like an exotic hybrid than PC, with tons of energy and punch, tight visceral bass, gorgeous warm mids, and that signature Eletech top end gold sparkle. That’s not to say it doesn’t sound like copper, that it has in spades, but there is a modern twist, a stroke of speed, energy and excitement that I don’t normally hear in copper cables. While the FTS has some extra energy up top, I found the OTL to be more energetic overall, and more modern sounding compared to the FTS which is more relaxed. The OTL has a slightly more intimate staging, not small but not overly large either, focusing the layering, details and emotion right up front. The vertical staging is very impressive, with the top end seemingly going off into endless space, but the placement of the instruments width wise is more on the intimate side. Imaging is top notch as well. The background is dark, not as pitch black as the shielded PW cables, though you have the trade-off of far more ergonomic handling, and way less microphonics. I found the OTL overall to be a bit triangle shaped, where the lowest frequencies are the biggest, and as you go up everything gets thinner, loss body, and more airy. Perhaps that’s true of other cables as well, it just struck me with the OTL- a solid structure that flows up to the heavens treading lighter the higher you get. Perhaps that’s also what I mean by modern sounding.




BASS - The OTL has some of, if not the best bass I have ever heard in a cable. Hands down, it’s daammmmmn good. Shockingly tight and punchy, reaching deeper and with greater authority than my PW comparison cables in fact. The texture is oh so satisfying, and I found on certain tracks that are quite bass featured, like D’Angelo, FKJ or Emancipator, I was totally blown away by the rumble and pump I got in my chest. Bring on acoustic bass and the tonality was perfect, with a slight featuring of sub-bass over mid bass, so it never got congested on bleeding into the lower mids. There is phenomenal control, and punch for days, outdoing the FTS I reviewed just a few weeks ago ( in which I quoted it as having the punchiest bass I had heard in a copper cable). I would say that quantity is slightly elevated over neutral, so it gets out of the way when not called for, but bring in some bass heavy tracks and you’ll notice it. I had some spellbinding moments for sure, focusing more on the bass that I usually do- that texture, that grunt, that analog goodness, it was truly remarkable. Both Jewel and Ragnar greatly benefitted from the bass improvements the OTL brought. Jewel got more authority, deeper reach and better texture. The Ragnar is more bass neutral and the slight uptick in bass quantity gave the low end a bit more power and presence, while the texture was really very impressive. Ragnar + OTL bass quality is ridiculously good, just needs to be said.

MIDS - The mids are where the OTL begins to “break with tradition”. Overall the mids are ever so slightly forward. While the lower mids are nicely weighted, warm and punchy, the upper mids are smooth but somewhat pulled back and thinner. This results is a very powerful low end, where guitars and synth instruments have wonderful analog girth and tonality, but vocals sound quite ethereal and even wispy. I say this as a matter of fact, rather than a critique, as for some this is exactly what they look for. The mids on the whole are lovely, very detailed with great resolution. The upper mids are smoother, velvety and with a lot of air, thought I will admit that it isn’t exactly the most true to life tuning. Male vocals are rich and full, but female vocals -or nasal male vocals- sound a bit thinner and pulled back, giving that ethereal quality that takes it a bit out of reference for my tastes. For example, when listening to a guitar solo that starts lower on the neck I hear a true to life rendition of their tone, but as the solo builds and they play higher on the neck, the notes start to get thinner and less realistic. Perhaps thinner isn’t the operative word, I don’t want to paint a picture of thin and weak, it’s more that they get more delicate, more airy, and less body than further below. Both Jewel and Ragnar have exquisite mids, and the OTL helps them both to shine. While the Jewel is more even and reference in the mids, the Ragnar leans slightly more to the ethereal side, so with OTL I preferred Jewel vs Ragnar. That’s really just a personal preference thing of course. If you like the ethereal vibe the Ragnar and OTL mids presentation is quite stunning. The OTL did smooth out some of the pinna gain on the Jewel, which was nice on certain tracks.

TREBLE - This is where the OTL shines for days, literally. You could say that the Eletech sound puts special focus and attention to their treble and perhaps some could call the OTL bright on top, but I think it’s perfectly done considering the rest of the spectrum. It doesn’t sound out of place at all. The OTL treble is beautifully done, with a wonderful sense of air and space, with that trademark shimmer that feels like someone is sprinkling golden speckles in the air as they reflect light and dance about. I head this with the Illiad and Aeneid, but it was’t as gorgeous and convincing as the presentation here on the OTL. The vertical dynamics are lust worthy, and the staging here is ambitious to say the least. This is again not the most realistic, real to life tuning, focusing more on the ethereal and beautiful vs accurate. In no way meant as a critique, merely mentioning that for a true reference listener such a myself, I did find that it pulled me out of the bath of sonic bliss a few times when things didn’t sound quite like a knew them to be. While on some tracks the OTL was on the verge of too bright for me, I did find it extremely enjoyable, and some of the best treble I have heard. I mentioned earlier that there is a bit of an increase in treble energy with the OTL, but I would like to adjust my wording, as I find it more of a treble focus rather than an increase in treble energy. Yes, there is a good amount lot of treble, but the treble is smooth, natural and very easy to listen to. The FTS as a comparison, has a very smooth analog overall signature with an uptick in treble energy, which makes me notice it over the rest of the spectrum. The OTL has an energetic sound overall, with a focus on the treble, so while the focus is there I didn’t find the energy there to be out of place, or overly emphasized with the rest of the spectrum.






With that treble focus in mind, I think there are some genres of music that are best portrayed on the OTL. Anything electronic is “forgetaboutit, don’t pass go, just buy it” good. The combo of tantalizing bass texture, deep reach and rumble with that open top end and golden sparkle is simply badass. Modern jazz is also great too, in fact anything with a modern mastering sounds wonderful. Where I think some could have an issue is when true to life presentation is held most dearly. Where the OTL’s modern tuning could sway you back to traditional copper perhaps. Keeping in check my OCD tendencies and skills in nitpicking, the OTL is very musical and balanced sounding, this is just the last 5% or so. Finally, for some genres the OTL is not a great match, like heavier music. I found the less bodied upper mids and treble focus make most metal recordings rather hard to listen to.

IEM pairing could play a large role in your enjoyment of the OTL. With the Jewel it was wonderful, especially given the Jewel’s slightly underemphasized high end, adding in some sparkle and air up top. Mids were lovely, and its upper mid pinna gain was smoothed out some. Bass was enveloping, bringing out more of that DD flavor than I had heard with other cables. Jewel is slightly warm already, but I never felt it was overly warm with the OTL, just a great pairing. Honestly, this is one of the best cables you can get for the Jewel. With the Ragnar’s quite emphasized and possibly overly bright top end, I found the OTL to be unbearable at times. Crisp, smooth, clear yes, but too much treble emphasis for me, that’s for sure. The OTL did give the Ragnar that bit of needed warmth and bass boost, the low end texture and tonality was really off the chains good. In general this wasn’t the best matchup, I personally preferred the Ragnar with the FTS. With Jewel I found the OTL to be a fantastic pairing, I even preferred it over the FTS and Orpheus on some tracks. The energy and raw bass grunt was especially pleasing, and on bass featured tracks I hadn’t heard the Jewel sound so good. But when it comes to vocals, mid range focus and organic instruments I tended to prefer the FTS or Orpheus simply because they were more linear, and true to life. OTL mids are great, but they aren’t really the star of the show, that goes to the top and bottom. It really comes down the the presentation you prefer. I can easily think of a few fellow Head-fiers that would definitely prefer the OTL’s signature sound over the PW candidates.




So, in closing, I am sad to see the OTL go. I really, really enjoyed this cable, especially with my Jewel. I am a one-cable-per-IEM-guy, so this was quite a test for me; as I was listening I was honestly considering if it could dethrone the Orpheus for me. A testament to how good the OTL really is. I could personally pass on the lighter ethereal upper mids, but if I was to own several cables I would be very happy to have a different shade to play with. I will admit that sometimes OTL got a bit bright, even with the Jewel, but that was quite track dependent. Most of the time I found the OTL to be utterly musical, lively, and vastly enjoyable. For those who like amazing bass and a treble forward presentation this just might be the best cable on earth. Job well done Eric Chong, color me extremely impressed.